Study: Kids Are Better At Sharing When People are Watching

Most people are kinder and more giving when they know others are watching, and it turns out even kindergarteners are not immune to the pressure of making a good impression.

A new study, published in the journal PLoS One, found that 5-year-olds are more likely to share when they know others will see. The kid subjects were given stickers, and told that they could share anywhere from one to four of them with a peer partner. The kids who could see the recipient of their generosity were more likely to share the max number of stickers, as were kids who shared by placing them in a transparent box, where everyone would be able to see just how giving they’d been.